Mitch does, 245 kg and 250 kg at a recent competition – he failed the 250 kg because the bar was not in continuous motion from floor to lockout. All true men wish to be built like Mitch because he is built out of a block of muscle and has huge arms.
In Spreading the Buttocks I noted that one need not do more than a few reps perhaps 4-6 max when squatting which is why in this article I am doing 12 reps when deadlifting.
In the past I have done 183 kg × 10, 195 kg × 8, 203 kg × 4 reps in the close stance sumo lift;
My first time doing +400 lbs for 10 reps in the deadlift
I use this stance because I can use the quads and so engage more muscle in the lift yet the range of motion is only slightly less than a regular deadlift and so regular deadlifters cannot really complain and call this a short range move. However if I were to just go for weight I would use a wider stance.
However, some people seem to think that a sumo isn’t a proper deadlift, so I am working on getting 183 kg × 10 reps in the regular style lift.
The regular style lift places no effort on the quads because the knees are always behind the bar, in other words the effort is entirely on the hip extensors and the back. There is only a bit of quad effort at the bottom of the lift when the knees are forward over the bar and a slight amount of effort at the top when the bar is close to the legs – however there is never any quad burning and quads are never a limiting factor in regular deadlifting, you could have thin girl quads and a massive regular dead.
Cycle
This particular regular deadlift cycle was inspired by Mitch’s preparations and eventual competing for a local deadlift competition (the video at the beginning of this post).
For this particular cycle I started at 143 kg and the next week did 153 kg and the week after did 165½ kg, all 12 reps each out of the monolift;
Deadlifting for reps out of the monolift, then for a single deadstop out of the monolift, then conventional, then close sumo – note the changing grips
I start the deadlift out of the monolift and do repetitions. Monolifting and repetitioning help with getting the right set-up for deadlifts. They help me get pressurised in the torso and long in the arms and upright. Thus it works like this;
- Centre my stance
- Strap in
- Take a breath
- Lift off
- Take another breath
- Lower
- Recoil
- Stand up, keeping arms long
- Breathe out and take another breath
- Repeat from 6
After the repetitions I then do a deadstop rep out of the monolift, this consists of lowering the weight, resting the weight at the bottom, taking a breath and then pulling up – a hook grip is used. The next lift after this is a proper ’start from the bottom lift’, I use the left palm forward which gives me longer arms than right palm forward (though it feels more natural for me to assume the left palm forward when gripping initially). The last lift is the close stance sumo with right palm forward, which is a bit short in the arms and tight on the right bicep – I’m stronger using the left palm forward.
After some experimentation I have found that taking a big breath as I lower and holding it whilst I grab the bar and then quickly pulling produces a quicker and easier ascent of the weight. I find this better than grabbing the bar then taking a breath.
When I squat I have found that taking a big breath and holding it then shouldering the bar out of the monolift then squatting is strongest. However with deadlifting out of the monolift I find that taking a breath, lifting off and then taking another breath is best.
Regular V Sumo
Really… if you are asking this question you need your head examined. A powerlifter should use whichever lift he lifts heavier with. The conventional puller who complains about sumos is often weak at the sumo, which means his hips are weak and he is inflexible – doing sumos may well alleviate that condition and benefit his conventional pull. Similarly a sumo puller may get a stronger back from pulling conventional.
Also in regular everyday heavy lifting the sumo/straddle pull is far more likely to be used, so it pays to have the skills and strength to do it. Take picking up engines or the end of a big log or a lump of concrete or a variety of strongman tasks. It is far better in these situations to straddle or sumo the weight. The conventional puller is often left somewhat non-plussed that he is unable to lift such weights because he hasn’t got the notion of standing over the weight.
Athletic training is all about transfer and strength training is all about transferring strength from different lifts and choosing the optimal methods of doing this. In other words specificity isn’t a case of 100% transfer or no transfer at all… if this were the case then there would be no point in doing any athletic training as one could never get stronger without some form of transfer.
Goal
So remember 183 kg × 10 reps is my goal for the regular deadlift.